Buttonhole-sewing machine



G. S. HILL.

BUTTONHOLE SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24.1917.

ETS-SHEET l- -Patented Mar. 2,1920.

G. S. HILL.

BUTTONHOLE SEWING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 24; I917.

1 32,664. Patented Mar. 2, 1920.

. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- .3 l. r J4 L .J JFazentor 1/4444 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE S. HILL, OF STRAFFORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO UNITED- SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, .A-CORPORA'IION-OF NEW JERSEY.

BUTToNHoLE-sEwING MACHINE.

Application filed J u1y'24, 1917.

To all whom zit-mag concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE S. HILL, a citizen of the United States, ,residingat Strafford, in the county of Straflord and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buttonhole- Sewing Machines; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it app'ertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to buttonhole sewing machines in which a work holding clamp and stitch forming mechanism are relatively movable to sew along the sides and about one or both ends of a buttonhole.

The object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved means for preventing movement of thestarting device by the operator during the buttonhole making cycle of the machine, thereby avoiding all danger of moving said device at such time during the operation ofthe machine as would result in animp'roper control of the driving mechanism. To this end the invention comprises the features ofconstruction and combinations of parts hereinafter described and referred'to in the claims Theinve-ntionwill be readily understood from an inspection of the accompanying drawings and the following detailed descrip tion of the mechanism illustrated therein.

In the drawings,--Figure '1 isa sideielevation of a buttonhole sewing machine embodying the invention in its preferred'form; Fig. 2 is a'detail elevation, partly in section, on line 2, Fig. 3, looking at-the opposite side of the-machine; Fig.3 is a sectional'pl-an detail-on line 3, Fig. 2; and'Fig. 4 is a front view of the parts shown in Fig. 3.

In the drawings the invention is shown embodied in a machine'having the construction and mode of operation of the machine shown and described in my Patent No. 1,276,357, dated Aug. 20, 1918. This machine comprises a rotary stitch forming mechanism, the upper vertically reciprocating and laterally jogging needle of which is indicated at 2, a work clamp carriage indicated at 4: which is movable lengthwise and laterally of the buttonhole, and a cutter indicated at 6 which is operated to out the buttonhole slit after the sewing is completed. The clamp carriage is reciprocated length- Specification' of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2, 1920.

Serial No. 182,409.

wise of the buttonhole by a feed cam 8 formed in the side of a gear 10 which is secured to the cam shaft 12 and through which the shaft is driven. The cam is engaged by a roll 14 on the end of a lever 16 which is connected by a link 18 to the clamp carriage. The cam shaft is driven prior to the beginning of the sewing Operation to close the clamp and advance the clamp carriage into sewing position by a high speed driving clutch indicated at 20, and is driven by the same clutch after the sewing is completed to return the clamp carriage to initial position, to operate the buttonhole cutter, and to open the clamp. The shaft is driven during the sewing from the sewing shaft which is operated through driving and stopping mechanism indicated at 24:. The engagement and disengagement of the high speed clutch 20, and the operation of the driving and stopping mechanism for the sewing shaft, are controlled after the ma chine is started by controlling mechanism carried on the end of the cam shaft and indicated at 28.

hen the clutch is disengaged to stop the machine at the completion of a buttonhole making cycle, it is held in disengaged position by a latch arm 30 until the arm is tripped by the operator to again start the machine. The means for tripping the latch comprises a lever 32 connected with a rock shaft 34'on which the latch arm is secured and having its free end extending in position to be conveniently depressed by the operator. After the starting lever is depressed to operate thelatch arm 30 and start the machine, the latch arm is under the control of the mechanism which times the engagement and disengagement of the clutch 20 and the starting and stopping of the sewing shaft,

and it is desirable that movement of the latch arm by the operator be prevented until the machine has completed its buttonhole makingicycle and the parts have been brought into their initial position ready for the succeeding cycle. To secure this result the starting lever 32 is so connected with the rock shaft 3 L that the shaft and the latch arm 30 connected therewith may be moved independently of the starting lever, and a latch is provided for locking the lever during the operation of the machine and until the cutting of the buttonhole slit has been completed and the clamp carriage returned to its initial position. As shown, the hub of the lever 32 is loosely mounted on the rock shaft 34, and is held in position thereon between a collar 36 and the hub of an arm 38, the forward end of which underlies thelever. The arm 38 is acted upon by a spring pressed plunger 40 which tends to hold the arm in its upper position and to hold the latch arm 30 in its latching position. A vertical locking lever 42 is pivoted below the starting lever 32, and its upper end is arranged to engage a notched lug 44 depending from the under side of the lever. The lever is forced in a direction to engage the notch in the lug by a spring 46. The lower end of the lever is arranged in the path of a pin 48 carried by the clamp carriage 4 and arranged to hold the locking lever in inactive position, as indicated in Fig. 2, when the clamp carriage is in its retracted position. In order that the buttonhole sewing and cutting may be completed before the locking lever is disengaged from the starting lever, the feed cam 8 which reciprocates the clamp carriage is so shaped that the carriage is given a slight additional rearward movement after the cutter 6 has been operated to cut the buttonhole slit, and the pin 48 is so arranged on the clamp carriage that during this additional rearward movement it engages the locking lever 42 and moves it into inactive position. When the lever is in this position the start- 1 ing lever 32 may be depressed by the operator to start the machine. Then the clamp carriage starts forward the locking lever 42 is immediately released and its upper end engages the notch in the lug 44 and prevents a second depression of the starting lever 32 until after the buttonhole sewing and cutting cycle has been completed, and the clamp carriage has been given its final backward movement.

While it is preferred to employ the specific construction and arrangement of parts shown and described in embodying the invention in the machine of the patent above referred to, it Will be understood that this construction and arrangement is not essential to the broader features of the invention, but may be varied or modified as found desirable or best suited to the machine in which it is to be embodied.

Having explained the nature and object of the invention, and specifically described one form of mechanism in which it may be embodied, whatis claimed is 1. A buttonhole sewing machine, having, in combination, stitch forming mechanism and a work clamp relatively movable to sew about a buttonhole, actuating mechanism therefor, a manually operated trip for starting the actuating mechanism, and means rendered active and inactive by the relative movement of the stitch forming mechanism and work clamp out of and into initial relation for preventing manual operation of the trip.

2. A buttonhole sewing machine, having, in combination, stitch forming mechanism, a traveling work clamp, actuating mechanism for reciprocating the work clamp and operating the stitch forming mechanism to sew about a buttonhole, a manually operated trip for starting the actuating mechanism, and means held inactive by the clamp when in retracted position for preventing the manual operation of the trip during the reciprocation of the clamp.

3. A buttonhole sewing machine, having, in combination, stitch forming mechanism, a work clamp, a buttonhole cutter, mechanism for moving the clamp from sewing to cutting position and for giving'it an additional rearward movement after the cutting, a trip for starting the machine, and a lock for the trip rendered inactive by the additional rearward movement of the clamp.

4. A buttonhole sewing machine, having,

in combination, stitch forming mechanism, a work clamp, a buttonhole cutter, clamp feeding means constructed to. retract the clamp beyond cutting position,mechanism for actuating the clamp feeding means before and after the sewing, inechanismfor actuating the stitch forming mechanism and the clamp feeding means during the sewing, means for automatically controlling the actuating mechanisms after the machine'is started, a manually operated trip for starting the machine, and a lock rendered inactive by the rearward movement of the clamp beyond,

cutting position for preventing operation of the trip.

GEORGE S. HILL. 

